Blog

A new social programme – ‘Brazil without Misery’ (Brasil sem Miséria) – was launched by the Brazilian government primarily focused on the distribution of income, particularly for those residing in rural areas.

With the aim of reaching the 16.2 million Brazilians classified as being in the extreme poor demographic – technical assistance teams will be contracted to provide means for those earning up to R$ 70 per month to apply for the ´Family Grant´ (Bolsa Família); receive identification documents and access free seeds produced by EMBRAPA (the country’s public agricultural research body).  Those that live in conservational regions will be able to claim up to R$ 300 every three months – with the aim of preserving natural vegetation.

Rural populations that fall under the remit of the programme will also be able to receive R$ 2,400 (in three installments over two years) – an objective which views to boost commercial agricultural activity.  In addition, the government announced that 60,000 water reserve cisterns will be built prior to 2013, which are expected to reach 650 thousand rural families.

At the public announcement of the project in Brasília, ministry of agricultural development Afonso Florence outlined that ‘Brazil without Misery’ is different to previous subisidy programmes as it actively encourages production,  self-sufficiency and economic growth.  The budget for 2011 is expected to reach R$ 20 billion with the programme expected to get fully underway in September.